Biden, Bobby

Jindal, who serves on the association's executive committee, will chair the group in 2013 under a plan that officials say has broad support from other Republican governors. Christie, the current vice chairman, will take over in 2014. ..... The move gives both up-and-comers prominent leadership roles in the Republican Party and access to a national network of conservative donors, laying the groundwork for possible presidential bids in 2016 .... Jindal will serve as Christie's vice chair after relinquishing the chairmanship in 2014. ..... Christie was chosen to deliver the keynote at the Republican National Convention in August. ..... has had a meteoric rise within the Republican Party. The 41-year-old won re-election last year in a landslide with minimal opposition. ..... Taking a turn as the association's leader has in recent years been a prelude to seeking higher office. Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, both served as chairman before pursuing a presidential bid.

Romney lost Hispanics to Barack Obama by 69 points to 29 and blacks by 93 to six. ..... After being portrayed as an extremist on abortion and fertility issues, Romney also lost women voters by 55 to 43 points. ....... Romney lost Florida, Ohio, Virginia and Colorado - his most likely path to a narrow victory - by just over 305,000 votes ..... The fact that Obama was able to increase his support among Hispanics is indicative of the deep unpopularity of the Republican stance of dealing with illegal immigrants. ..... More than two-thirds of voters believed that illegal immigrants should have some kind of 'path to citizenship'. But in the primary, Romney had argued that the millions of illegals should be forced to 'self deport'...... A broader problem for the Republican party is that among voters who wanted a president who 'cares about people like me', Obama won by 81 per cent

we could be looking at a race as wide open as 2008 for both parties. ..... Bobby Jindal: The Louisiana governor seems all-but-certain to make a bid for president in 2016 and he’s got a strong argument in his favor. He’s Indian American (Republicans badly need non-white faces in top positions), he’s compiled a decidedly conservative record as governor of the Bayou State and he’s among the wonkiest members of his party. Jindal’s time on the national stage hasn’t exactly been filled with star turns — his 2009 Republican response was super awkward — but we’ve always been impressed with his ability to move seamlessly between politics and policy, a rare gift in politicians. ...... Joe Biden: Just in case you had ruled out the possibility of Biden running in 2016 — he will be 73 on Election Day 2016 — Biden reminded you of it while voting on Tuesday. Asked whether this was the last time he would cast a ballot for himself, the Vice President smiled mischievously and said “No, I don’t think so.” If the best indicator of wanting to run for president in the future is having run for president in the past, then Biden qualifies since he has run for the top spot in 1988 and 2008. Biden would have the benefit of semi-incumbency going for him and has always had a top-tier team of political professionals who have stuck with him through thick and thin in a political career that began way back in 1972. Biden’s problems? One is named Hillary. The other is named Joe Biden. The Vice President’s tendency to veer off script would be a major issue if he decided to run in four years time.